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Breaking silence, Boris Johnson says he would struggle to back new Brexit deal

By William James and Elizabeth Piper LONDON (Reuters) -Boris Johnson criticised Rishi Sunak’s new post-Brexit deal with the European Union for Northern Ireland on Thursday, saying the prime minister had allowed the bloc to retain too much influence in the United Kingdom. Sunak struck a new deal on Monday to ease trade restrictions in the …

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South African rand weakens against stronger dollar

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South Africa’s rand weakened on Thursday, as the dollar firmed on strong U.S. labour data, which suggested the Federal Reserve will likely keep rates higher for longer. At 1611 GMT, the rand traded at 18.1650 to the dollar, 0.28% weaker than its previous close but still an improvement on the levels it had …

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Foreign investors to seek review of enhanced Indian rules after Adani rout -sources

By Jayshree P Upadhyay (Reuters) – A lobby representing foreign portfolio investors will approach India’s markets regulator seeking a review of recently tightened requirements for beneficial owners of offshore funds, according to two sources. Concerns surfaced over offshore investments in Adani Group companies in January prompting a directive from the Securities and Exchange Board of …

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Burkina’s film festival in full swing despite fighting on its doorstep

OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) – In Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, soldiers give directions to movie-goers and journalists attending the continent’s premier film festival that is going ahead this year despite the violent insurgency gripping many of its regions. Since the biannual Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) was last held in 2021 the West African …

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Cape Town residents hold night vigil after German tourist disappears

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – Residents of Hout Bay community, close to South Africa’s tourist capital Cape Town, held a candlelight vigil on Wednesday evening as the search continued for a 22-year-old German who went missing during a hike last month. Five South African suspects, aged between 20 and 25 years, were arrested after being found …

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Implats says kingmaker set to decide on RBPlat purchase

By Nelson Banya (Reuters) -South Africa’s Public Investment Corporation (PIC) will soon announce whether it will back one of the two companies that have vied for over a year to acquire platinum group metals (PGM) producer Royal Bafokeng Platinum, Implats CEO said on Thursday. PIC, a state-run asset manager, is the biggest shareholder in both …

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Indonesia poll body to push ahead with 2024 elections despite court ruling

By Ananda Teresia and Stefanno Sulaiman JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesia’s poll body on Thursday vowed to forge ahead with organising next year’s presidential election, defying a surprise ruling by a district court to halt all election processes for more than two years. The election commission, or KPU, said it would appeal Thursday’s ruling by the Central …

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Malawi budget deficit seen at 8.7%/GDP next fiscal year

(Corrects figures in headline and first paragraph to show deficit is expected to decrease to 8.7%, not increase to 8.8%) BLANTYRE (Reuters) -Malawi’s government sees the budget deficit for the fiscal year that starts in April at 1.32 trillion kwacha ($1.30 billion), or 8.7% of GDP, down slightly from 8.8% in the fiscal year that …

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S.Africa’s FirstRand bank warns of local issues, govt’s Russia ties

By Promit Mukherjee JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Africa’s biggest bank by market capitalisation FirstRand Ltd said on Thursday that local issues such as frequent blackouts, clogged ports and South Africa’s close ties with Russia could hurt local lenders. South African banks, some of the biggest on the continent, had a good run last year on the back …

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Top U.N. official tours east Congo as peacekeeping mission struggles

((This March 1 story has been corrected to change the reference from ceasefire deal to ceasefire process in paragraph 6)) By Paul Lorgerie BUSHAGARA CAMP, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – The United Nations’ top official in Democratic Republic of Congo has sought to rally local support for the agency’s troubled peacekeeping mission to the …

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